hey espied three more coming after them, and five more beyond
them, all coming the same way; besides which, they saw seven or eight
more at a distance, running another way; for in a word, they ran every
way, like sportsmen beating for their game.

The poor men were now in great perplexity whether they should stand and
keep their posture or fly; but after a very short debate with themselves,
they considered that if the savages ranged the country thus before help
came, they might perhaps find their retreat in the woods, and then all
would be lost; so they resolved to stand them there, and if they were too
many to deal with, then they would get up to the top of the tree, from
whence they doubted not to defend themselves, fire excepted, as long as
their ammunition lasted, though all the savages that were landed, which
was near fifty, were to attack them.

Having resolved upon this, they next considered whether they should fire
at the first two, or wait for the three, and so take the middle party, by
which the two and the five that followed would be separated; at length
they resolved to let the first two pass by, unless they should spy them
the tree, and come to attack them. The first two savages confirmed them
also in this resolution, by turning a little from them towards another
part of the wood; but the three, and the five after them, came forward
directly to the tree, as if they had known the Englishmen were there.
Seeing them come so straight towards them, they resolved to take them in
a line as they came: and as they resolved to fire but one at a time,
perhaps the first shot might hit them all three; for which purpose the
man who was to fire put three or four small bullets into his piece; and
having a fair loophole, as it were, from a broken hole in the tree, he
took a sure aim, without being seen, waiting till they were within about
thirty yards of the tree, so that he could not miss.

While they were thus waiting, and the savages came on, they plainly saw
that one of the three was the runaway savage that had escaped from them;
and they both knew him distinctly, and resolved that, if possible, he
should not escape, though they should both fire; so the other stood ready
with his piece, that if he did not drop at the first shot, he should be
sure to have a second. But the first was too good a marksman to miss his
aim; for as the savages kept near one another, a little behind in a line,
he fired, and hit two of them d